Discourses around the development and circulation of nicotine replacement therapy products
Author(s)
Catriona Rooke
Presenter(s)
Catriona Rooke UKCTCS Research Fellow, Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh
Abstract
The various forms of nicotine-containing products available to UK consumers fall under different areas of regulatory governance. Conventional tobacco products are governed by a variety of legal instruments which control the way that they can be advertised, marketed, sold and consumed but exert little control over the content of products themselves. On the other hand, nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) are regulated as medicines by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The safety, efficacy, manufacture, packaging and marketing of medical products are strictly controlled. Recently, there has been growing concern that this division of regulatory responsibility is having an adverse effect on the availability of acceptable alternatives to cigarettes.
This presentation will investigate the impact of this division of regulatory responsibility on the innovation of new NRT products within the pharmaceutical industry. I draw on twenty in-depth qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and documentary analysis to consider the various discourses that arise in this area, including: problems in the existing NRT network, for example issues around treatment, distribution and compliance; different conceptions of what a ‘better’ nicotine product might be and how these relate to understandings about what smokers want; perceived barriers to innovation; and the issue of 'borderline' products.
Source of funding: ESRC Case studentship (with ASH)
